


Don't Blow the Candle

by askynote



Category: Gravity Falls, Over the Garden Wall (Cartoon)
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Original Character(s), Post-Series, Summerween, pinescone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-25
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-04-11 01:46:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4416347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/askynote/pseuds/askynote
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Summerween wasn’t supposed to end this way. But of course when the things turn out the way they want?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. As the gloom starts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [skimmingthesurface](https://archiveofourown.org/users/skimmingthesurface/gifts), [SylviaW1991](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SylviaW1991/gifts).



Darkness all around. Trying to catch something, whatever. To surround in a blanket of smoke and consume everything it can. Because it has been so long and starvation clouds its mind.

Wait...

...mind?

That sounds wrong. It doesn't have a mind. A shape. A form. It's just a black moving hole, swallowing the bright shining star that harmonizes with a life. Until there's nothing but a body. Nothing but a useless can.

Nothing.

He tries to keep running but it's too late and he is freezing.

Too cold.

He is shaking. Wet red hands go through his hair. He can't escape.

Before everything fades he sees it. A dim tiny flame.

But it's not enough. It's never going to be. No one can stop it.

Hungry. Always. Craving for more.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, here we go. This idea came to me as a dream, thanks to the 'Over to Gravity Falls' fic and I sent an ask to one of the writers on tumblr and she encourage me to write this. So this is dedicated to them because they made me ship pinescone in the first place and also if they hadn't write the 'Mystery Best Friend' series I wouldn't have had that dream. Destiny is a wonderful thing.


	2. We both have fallen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Editing can be really hard when English is not your first language. Also *welp* It’s been awhile since I had wrote poetry.

“Do we really have to wear them right now, Mabel?” He struggled a little while his sister started to fill the edges of his shirt with hay. Normally, she would have let him do it himself if he hadn’t being so reluctant. It wasn't his fault, the straws tickled a lot.

Dipper had been the whole week convincing Mabel to not make him wear anything embarrassing and this was the best thing he could get. They were sixteen already, too old for trick or treat, but with Wirt and Greg in town, they had promised the youngest to have the coolest Summerween ever. And in Mabel’s mind that included matching costumes.

She adjusted his pointy hat so it wouldn't be tilted. “Yes, so we can go straight to get candies after doing your paranormal stuff.”

He winced when she turned to look for something in her basket. It wasn't a big deal.  Well, he didn't think it was a big deal. It could be, but he was hopeful. Something he could do in two hours, at least for today.

“I promise it will not to take long.”

“You always say that bro-bro. And it _always_ takes you the whole day,” she sighed.

“Not this time. We’re just going to inspect it a little and I can figure it out what’s happening tomorrow.” He grabbed a notepad and shoved it into the pocket of his pants.

Finding what she was looking for, Mabel lifted her head and smiled at him innocently with makeup set and brush in hand.

Oh no.

“Wow, wow.” He stepped back with his hands covering his face and stumbling with the bed frame. “No makeup!”

“But Dipper-” She tried to tickle his stomach and just managed to poke him once on the ribs. “Just the nose.”

“Mabel, no.” He jerked away, reaching the nearest pillow. Dipper threw one to her but it didn't stop her to keep shoving the brush on his face. He grabbed another one and used it like a shield. “Stop.”

“Please.”

“ _No_.”

They would've kept going, but knowing they could fight for hours, Mabel had to let him go, not before hit him as she gave him back the pillow. “Party pooper.”

Both stuck their tongues out and after she put on the red slippers and fixed her ponytails again, they pushed each other as they went downstairs where Wirt and Greg were already waiting for them. It took a lot of self-restraint from Dipper to not go back and change in his normal red shirt and vest because Wirt looked good. Extremely good.

His heart bounced at the sight of him on a tailcoat and green vest. He was used to the sweaters, not that it was a bad thing of course, but it was a nice change. A really nice change and Dipper looked almost humiliating at his side. Or at everyone side. Even Greg who was dressed as a flying monkey. But in his defense, he was eight, and eight year old kids could wear whatever they wanted without people giving them a second look.

“It could’ve been worse,” he tried to explain before he let Wirt say his opinion. “She was trying to put me in a Peter Pan costume.”

“I wanted to do you a favor, Wirt,” Mabel interjected, placing the magician’s hat on Wirt’s head. “Everyone deserves to see their boyfriend in tights.”

“Oh my god. You’re impossible”

Color rising with the thought, Wirt wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him close. “I think you look good with everything. Like right now. You’re cute.”

Dipper rested his head in the crook of Wirt's neck to hide his own blush. “Thanks, man.”

“He would have looked cuter as the cowardly lion," she added and giggled when he glared at her. “With a brown nose and whiskers.”

“Mabel, cut it out.”

Being pleased with his discomfort, she lifted Greg on her arms and spun him several times. “Are you ready for our adventure honey bun?”

“Yes! Candy hunt! Candy hunt!”

Taking advantage of the distraction, Dipper gave him a light peek on the lips. “You _do_ look good. As the wizard. It suits you.”

“Yeah?” Wirt met their lips together on a firmer kiss. Mabel did a good job with everyone’s costumes, especially as she did them from scratch, after all. He pulled away just a few inches. "I was not kidding though. You are the gorgeous scarecrow I have ever seen."

"Mm." Dipper cut the distance and kissed him again. He placed his hands on Wirt's neck, the straws brushing it, causing Wirt to wriggle.

Dipper laughed at the reaction and leaned forward to deepen the kiss. The familiar, but always weird combination of electrifying and cozy sensation at being that close against each other, spread over his chest. He could drown in those feelings forever.

But of course...

“Okay, lovebirds!” The separation was abrupt when both jumped as the shout went to their ears and Wirt let out a little shriek. “Time to go.”

With a sigh, Dipper lowered his arms but Wirt kept his around his waist. He checked his pockets one last time and grabbed the car keys.

“What about Waddles and Jason Funderberker?” Greg asked from Mabel's shoulders, resting his chin on her head.

“We will return quickly for them after this,” she promised as she carrying him outside and opened the doors of the backseat.

Wirt gave him one last kiss on the forehead after he released him to go and sit on the passenger seat, and let him turn on the car. It felt odd to actually use it, when they normally just walked or rode the bicycle or even in urgent cases, the golf car.

But yesterday, when they were being lazy, having a movie marathon with Dipper using him as a pillow, a call interrupted them saying they needed Dipper to take care of a big problem that had been freaking out some people for days.

At first, Wirt had suggested to just go to the place and they could compensate Greg with something else for missing out trick or treat, but Dipper didn’t want to let the kid down and break his promise.

He rested his head on the window glancing occasionally at his boyfriend as he drove, with Mabel and Greg singing in the background. In more than one time Dipper caught him staring and threw him a smile.  

“Separation makes love flourish and shine even brighter when the tunnel that kept us apart goes to an end.” he murmured.

He didn’t know if someone had heard him, but after all this time, he was comfortable enough to let himself get lost in his words. Besides, Dipper did say he liked to hear him.

Being apart for a year had been a complex experience. They surely talked every day, skyped whenever they could. But it had been a torture not being able to reach him and hug him when either of them had a bad day, or resist the urge of kiss him every time he managed to make him laugh.

He had enjoyed spending his money on mail and taking the time to handwrite each poem. It had felt even better when it had been a reciprocated habit, like one day he received the book he was looking for a while and it had sticking notes with Dipper’s familiar script and comments that made his heart fluttered. _I thought about you when I read that_ , was a good example.

But they were together again. They were together as soon as summer break arrived.

“And here we are,” Dipper announced while he parked the car under a tree.

As soon as everyone went out, Wirt didn’t hesitate to hold Dipper’s hand.

The call had mentioned a warehouse, but never said it was an abandoned warehouse. It made sense, though. The awful-kind-of-cliché sense. Outside of the town, with just an apartment building at one side and small farm a little farther. Dipper had seen much worse. The red bricks were worn, several vines climbed from the ground to the top, some covering the broken windows.

“So tell me what exactly is going on there?” Wirt asked.

“I’m not even sure. The call just said something weird was happening and some people have heard screams.” Dipper squeezed his hand in case he was getting anxious, but it he was he didn’t show it. “When they called the police, and searched if it was like a murdered or something, they found nothing. And you know, it does feel like stuff is off here. Probably it is just a ghost.”

Greg’s eyes went wide, “Are we going to see a real ghost?”

“Probably not today.” Hopefully.

“Great.” Wirt returned the squeeze. It was fine. Dipper had encountered ghosts before. Everything had turned out okay. And ghosts did not appear at daylight, right?

Trying to give him comfort, Dipper pressed his lips to his cheek. Maybe it wouldn’t have been a bad idea to bring his journal. But bringing the journal meant they were going to do more than just search for clues.

“Oh, it so good seeing you here. I'm Claire.” A woman on her thirties with dark skin approached them, coming out from one of the apartments. Dipper recognized her voice as the one who called him, and asked desperate for his help. “My niece disappeared last night and I don’t-”

She noticed their clothes and blinked. “Is this part of the process?”

“Ah no, we-”

“It totally is,” Mabel said putting an arm around Dipper’s shoulder and poked his chest. “It helps the inspiration flow.”

“No it's not,” Dipper yanked away. So the people weren't aware of the holiday the town had created, maybe they weren't Gravity Falls’ citizens or they were too worried to think about it.

“Don't be ashamed of who you are Dipdop!”

“What are you even talking about?”

Used to their normal bickering, Wirt elbowed his boyfriend to keep him on track.

“Sorry. Uh...” He cleared his throat when the woman, Claire, shot them a look. The kind of look that meant she was making up her mind. Through the years, he had learned that apparently, it didn't matter his age, some people would always think he was not capable enough. “What were you saying about your niece?”

“She didn't returned last night,” she explained and gestured a farmer working in the fields. “Brad said she entered the building. It has been like that for days...people go and never return but when we heard the screams...we never thought...she...”

“It's okay,” Mabel consoled her putting a hand on her shoulder. “We'll look for her.”

Dipper nodded and pulled out his notepad to write what so far they knew. The screams was something he didn’t have an idea of what could be the cause. “What's her name?”

“Kara. Eighteen, curly hair, was wearing a purple blouse. We reported to the police again anyway, like everyone else. But we know this is not normal.”

“We will do everything we can.” Because if the police was already involved in this then he needed to solve the problem before the FBI agents were called. He really didn’t want to deal with them again.

“I’m in the 618 if you need anything,” she said. “Thanks again for coming.”

“It’s okay.”

And with that, they were left alone.

\---

Even if it seemed from the outside, it was not a warehouse. It had more rooms and apparently levels, unlike the one floor structure full of shelves he was familiarized with. It had the look of a department store, so it was probably that.

The smell was weird, dirt all over the place, small beams were spread on the floor. He didn’t know how old the building was but it seemed it could fall on them at any moment.

“Split up. Gather information, take photos if you see anything weird.”

“Anything?” Greg gasped as he played with his wings. “That’s a lot of weirdness.”

“Well everything that seems out of place can be a clue.” Dipper ruffled his hair. “So you’ll have to keep your eyes very open, detective.”

At that, Greg brought his hand to his eyelids and opened them as much as it was possible. “I’m ready.”

They kept the main door open to let more light in. The windows were polarized and even if some were slightly broken, they still needed the flashlights Mabel had in her basket to inspect the whole building.

She kept one to herself and gave the other to Wirt, knowing his brother would be busy writing his notes.

“Okay you and Greg go and check the first floor, Wirt and I the rest,” he pointed out. “We’ll meet here in no more than two hours.”

Mabel crossed her hands against her chest and frowned at his twin. “Two hours?”

“Yeah, we still have a lot of time before it gets dark. And who knows? Maybe we can do this to-” He stopped at Mabel’s hard look and realized that it was not the answer she was expecting. “Tomorrow. We can defeat this thing tomorrow.”

“Right,” Mabel said grabbing Greg’s hand, “Let's go baby.”

As they started to walk away, Wirt rubbed his hands together. Maybe it would had been a better idea to have them checking the surroundings. Asking the people who lived in the apartments what they'd seen, instead. But there was not going back and even if he still didn't like the idea, Mabel was with him. Yeah that was okay. Mabel would never let him get hurt.

“Greg, don't wander off,” he called before they were off the view. “Be careful you two.”

“We'll be fine,” Mabel reassured him and gave him a thumbs-up.

Dipper passed the flashlight to Wirt. He grabbed the pen and notepad with his free hand, not wanting to break the contact with his boyfriend yet. Every single moment at his side counted.

Wirt observed his behavior quietly and another doubt emerged as he recalled what he had said before Mabel interrupted. He tried not to slap his face. Of course Dipper would feel the need to solve the problem as soon as he felt the pressure crushing him.

“Look, if you want to keep looking for whatever is here, seriously we can skip trick or treat.” He offered a little smile. “Greg wouldn't mind as long as we do something spooky.”

Dipper chewed the pen before answering. The option was tempting. He didn’t like to let something unfinished, especially if people were counting on him. But Mabel was right, it was Summerween. He needed to catch his breath from all the mystery and have fun from time to time.

“Nah, I made a promise and I have a feeling this is going to take more time than I intended to, so it's okay, really.” He gave him a kiss on the cheek just because Wirt was too sweet. “I have to relax before going too much into craziness doesn't it?”

“Okay.” Wirt hated being part of the distraction, but if he said it was fine…

He turned on the flashlight as they went upstairs, flinching with the creaking sound every time they took a step. Wirt wondered if it had been built like that temporarily, because there was no way it was safe to have them without risers. Anyone could get the foot stuck in those holes and fall. And with ‘anyone’, he meant more likely himself.

Dipper decided to finally remove his hand to have it running through the wall and pointed at some specific places so Wirt could light it up. “Everything looks...normal,” he said grabbing a wood beam and threw it to the floor. “But at the same time is not. If that makes sense.”  

They entered to a room without a door and glass as a front wall, peeling paint in the corners and a bulb hanging on the ceiling.

“Yes, it does,” Wirt nodded rubbing his arms. “It could be because there’s no one here, it’s really dark and I feel in a horror movie scene.”

Clicking his pen faster this time, he didn’t realize there was another fallen beam and ended up with his face colliding with the floor.

“Oh stupid-” He sighed and grabbed Wirt’s hand when it was offered. “Mabel will throw a fit when she sees I’m already dirty.”

“Well it just dust.”

“For now. This is just the start.”

“She probably will never let you wear something of hers again.”

“That’s not too bad,” he joked.

Grinning, Wirt bumped their hips together. “You are going to break your twin-tradition.”

Dipper shook his head, the smile never faded. “Don't think so. Somehow she always manage to get what she wants and put me in a costume that matches hers.”

“I'm sorry we are the reason you couldn't escape this time.”

“Dude no, it was our idea... Sorry if I seemed grumpy for the whole Summerween stuff earlier. I do like Halloween and Summerween, and all that comes with it.” That was true, but he also was aware that there was more than just thinking matching costumes with Mabel when they were teenagers, was uncool. “I mean, you know me, paranormal guy and all that. It would be strange if I didn't enjoy it but I-

“Mabel never wanted to grow up. I did, because people just saw me as an annoying kid with a lot of imagination. And I still think they will not take me seriously if I do not act mature or whatever. But sometimes I forget that is okay to be a kid again. And she is there to remind me that. It doesn't make a lot of sense but...”

With the way he treated Greg —and probably little kids in general—, always paying attention to his opinion, Wirt had never thought there was a reason behind it. He imagined a younger Dipper with so much to express and say, getting ignored each time he opened his mouth. He could understand that feeling.

It was hard to hold him with a busy hand, but that wasn't going to stop him. “Yeah well, I get you. And I love you. Embarrassed or when your ego can be seen from coast to coast. Always.”

Laughing, Dipper bumped their noses. His heart belonged to the guy over here and he'd not intention of getting it back. The poet who still tolerated him in his weird mood swings. “Yeah...I know, I love you too.”

He returned the embrace to press a kiss on that adorable nose. “You know, I don’t really want to wear tights or the lion costume ever, no matter what age.”

“Well, I totally agree that the cowardly lion costume fits you. Not because of the cowardly part at all, but definitely the lion. Cute sneezes and all.”

“Oh my god, you jerk.” Dipper hit him on the chest playfully but didn’t hide the chuckle. “C’mon, let’s keep looking,” he added bumping their shoulders together. Even if he had both hands full that didn’t mean he couldn’t stay as close as he possible.

Dipper almost tripped again when he felt something soft under his shoe. He stopped and moved his feet to pick it up. A notebook. He leafed through it and saw the handwriting becoming messier as he got to end. The last page was covered in red ink. Wait, no. Red. Sticky. It's not ink.

Wirt paled as he took a look for himself. Oh no, no, no. “That’s-”

Dipper closed it, putting his own notepad back into his pockets to be able to hold this one. The search was over. “We have to go."

It wasn’t like Wirt hadn’t seen blood before but the thought of where did it came from, was what freaked him out. “Yeah-yes, let's...let’s go with Mabel and Greg.”

Dipper laced their fingers together to assure him that they were going to be okay. Yes, they had a bloody notebook and he was feeling the creeps as they went downstairs. Suddenly it was like they were being watched. Whatever was here, was waiting for the moment to come and show itself. But they were together.

Wirt hollered their siblings names and again a little more desperate when he didn’t get an immediate answer, “Mabel! Greg!”

Finally, she showed up with Greg at her side. They were fine. Somehow he and Wirt always found the worse things, and for Greg's sake it was better that way. “What's wrong?”

“I found something but...that's enough for today. I think I can figure it out with what I got.” Or he would have to come again to actually finish looking. “What about you?”

“We found candles,” Greg said.

And he would have narrated their whole adventure in the exaggerated way he always did if they hadn't heard the sound of the doors slamming. They ran to them. Dipper released his hand from Wirt’s to grab the knob and pull, but nothing. It couldn’t be locked from the inside, something must have blocked it from the exterior. He tried another time and then harder when it did not move. He kicked it in exasperation.

“C’mon!”

Then, he felt it. Something similar like with the Hide Behind, you knew it was there but you couldn’t see it, but know, he did. It was just a glimpse, a silhouette and somehow it was enough to give him willies.

“What was that?” Wirt was trying to ease his mind but it was difficult when the circumstances didn’t help at all.

“Is it the ghost?” Greg asked marveled, and Wirt had to stop him from going after it.

Dipper checked the notebook to see if the person who owned it had discovered something good. “I think-”

The words were swallowed as soon as Mabel pointed her light at the top of the stairs. Black fog was descending through the steps in waterfall style. The temperature decreased, making him feel chilly. It was approaching.

“We can go through the windows,” Mabel urged leading them to the hallway.

But Dipper was busy reading. He hadn’t heard of a creature like this and the annotations were being helpful. What if the key to defeat it was there?

They didn’t go that far. Not when Mabel saw his twin wasn’t following them. She tugged his arm hard. “Dipper, what are you doing? Let’s go!”

“I’m trying to…”

“Dipper, we can look at the notebook after we get out of here,” Wirt clutched on his arm. Was he seriously thinking of fighting that thing right now?

“Yeah...it’s just…” He met Wirt’s gaze and gulped. “Okay.”

He let Wirt dragging him to be able to continue reading. He reached to a certain page and almost stopped running. “It’s not a ghost.”

They hit the end of the wall quickly. Mabel stood on her tiptoes and opened the window handle. The fog was still visible but they could make it.

“Go first, so you can catch Greg,” Wirt said breathless.

She nodded holding the frame to support and with a simple flip she landed on the floor.

Wirt helped Greg to climb next, not letting him go completely until Mabel had him. It was getting closer and he repressed his squeal back down to his throat. He struggled a little on what he had to do. He could argue with Dipper saying he should go first, but he knew they would waste time.

At least he was tall enough to go faster. Or so he thought.

Wirt was caught up in the middle of his climbing when Mabel’s eyes widened and pointed at his back. Dipper was still engrossed on the notebook biting his bottom lip and clicking his pen, while Wirt looked at the monstrous shadow daring to creep over him.

Mabel yelled his name scary enough to startle him.

Wirt didn’t give him time to think.

“Close it!” Was the only thing he could say to her as Wirt jumped to the ground again and pushed Dipper into the nearest door, hoping the darkness couldn't reach them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the feedback!! <3


	3. I'm Keeping the Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry!! School started and it sucks, but I promise I open this file every day. I'm just a really slow writer and that sucks even more. Thanks for all your amazing feedback <3!!!

It was a really tiny room. A maintenance closet. Thankfully, it was empty, because Wirt was pretty sure an old mop would have been behind his back, or he would have tripped over something and made the loudest noise ever.

But right now, his thoughts were focusing on Dipper, in the sound of his heartbeats and heavy breathing. In how close they were, even if they were like that a few minutes ago. Wirt was glad it was dark enough to cover his blush.

“Sorry, I got distracted.”

Wirt tried to push aside the desire of kissing him, because they had other things to worry about, like the weird fog attacking them and that Dipper had been...

“You were thinking on fighting that thing even if we don't have an idea of what it is, doesn't it?”

“I know what it is!” he replied. “Now...I think.”

“Dipper...” He loved him, so, so, much. His bravery was admirable and made him love him even more but he was also really stubborn. It could be a good or bad trait depending on the occasion, he didn't deny it.

“I am sorry, okay? I'm sorry you couldn't escape.”

“We. We couldn't escape.”

Dipper sighed and leaned against his chest. He knew it was still out there, he could feel it. The creeps weren’t gone, and it was as if Wirt and he had entered to a refrigerator instead. He didn’t realize he was shivering until he was held on his boyfriend’s shaking arms. He was glad there was not enough space to keep them apart.

“Can it hear us?” Wirt muttered.

“It’s a shadow. I'm not sure it can hear anything,” Dipper said in the same tone. “But better be safe than sorry.”

_Maybe it would have been better if it could_ , he thought. It was easier to merely stay quiet and wait for it to leave. If it found them with another kind of method relying on other senses, then, they had a problem.

Wirt rubbed Dipper's arms and pulled him close to keep them both warm. At least he had more clothes on, Dipper only was wearing a light green shirt, and he didn’t think the straw helped in something. It was so odd to feel like an ice cube in summer, even more if the cause was abnormal. But they were in Gravity Falls, he should not be that surprised.

“Wait, so how do we know we are safe here?” Wirt wondered still with a soft voice. “And what we saw was a shadow?”

“I don’t know and that was not the creature...or the entirely creature...” He wanted to explain what he already figured out when the coldness disappeared. Just like that, as fast as it came, leaving them perplexed.

They stood in silence, not sure of what to do next. They shared a look and Dipper put his hand on the handle. Opening it slowly, both poked their heads out, Wirt resting his chin on his hair. At naked eye, everything was exactly as they had seen it when they arrived. No ghostly smoke trying to hurt them.

Together, they returned to where they left their siblings, relieved when they saw them okay with no injuries. Mabel carried Greg on her arms and stepped closer as soon as she noticed the boys. The little boy knocked the window several times and waved his hand, probably already stating the fact that they needed to go with them. Wirt tried to open it, but struggled like Dipper had with the door of the foyer.

“We are stuck.”

Dipper's eyes widened and helped him to try again. He saw Mabel pushing too, but they all knew it was useless. They could not get out anymore, it was too late.

“Greg! Mabel!” Dipper shouted to be heard through the glass. “Go and ask to witnesses or someone. Look for a way to open the door or the window or whatever.”

Greg did not seem convinced enough and almost smashed his face on the window. “But what about you?”

Dipper looked at Wirt with hesitation but answered nevertheless. “The plan is still on march. We'll find out what's really going here.” They could not do more than that and if they were going to stay trapped for a while then so be it.

Mabel nodded and smiled to ease the concern from both sides. Of course she was worried, but her favorite nerds were a good team. They were extremely protective, each in their own way. They would not let the other get hurt and if anyone was going to defeat the threat, it would be those two.

After saying their goodbyes and Mabel and Greg were out of view, Dipper locked his arm with Wirt’s to start explaining while he dragged him to the center of the building. There was too much to do and he hoped the creature wouldn't show up until they were ready.

“Okay so, a shadow, yeah. That's what it is, see?” Dipper raised the notebook with his other hand to show him a page in which, indeed, the writer referred at the smoky creature as a shadow. He also noticed the scary and not so reassuring warning: _Don't let it catch you._

Wirt pushed his anxiety aside to concentrate better. It was not easy. “Does it say how to defeat it?”

“Ehhh...not really. I haven't found that yet. But!” How he managed to keep delighted and bright with the situation was one part of the mystery that was Dipper Pines, and Wirt was more than okay to be marveled by it every day. “Shadow People. I have read a little about them. They are ummm...demons.”

Color left his face, “ _what?_ ”

“And we can’t destroy them or anything, just vanish them and I’m not exactly helping you to calm down. Sorry.”

“It’s-Okay no, I’m not okay. Yes and no. I’m overwhelmed.” He took a deep breath and exchanged the flashlight for the notebook. He had to learn to deal with this stuff. After all, Wirt was not going to let his boyfriend go alone to this stuff anymore. “H-how did it get here?”

With a reassuring smile, Dipper replied, “They are summoned. And if you see the first page, you can read where it says, _I knew it was a bad idea but I was stupid enough to follow_.”

Dipper leaded the light to the sheet allowing him to see better, and he read after what he just quoted.

_I don't know how Joseph found that spell, but if he wanted to scare the newbies I think he’s going too far. He can be a big asshole when he wants to. Diana, Simon, and a bunch of other people are already here. I can see Tianne too, but I'm not sure how she convinced her brother to let her go. To be honest, the club is not really worth it._

“A college gang, then?"

“I guess you could called it like that, yeah. A stupid college gang with no idea what they were doing.”

“They probably thought nothing was going to happen but then they got a surprise. That's what happens in movies.”

“Pretty much.” They traded the items again. They had to get to work. “Greg said they found candles. We should probably finish reading this, but I want to check what they saw, first.”

“Ok, mhm.” He secured his arm with a firm grip. He would not let them get split up. “Let's go.”

They followed the path their siblings took. The first floor was more open than the second one, with bigger rooms and with the only difference that there were less beams, but the amount of dirtiness was the same. That and the fact that the shadow could pretty much just appear out of scratch made Wirt feel uneasy.

Accidentally, Wirt kicked something hard out of the way and watched as it echoed over the floor.  They glanced at each other before going that way. Four white taper candles were scattered on the floor like someone just dropped them there on purpose.

Dipper unlaced his arm to press a kiss on Wirt's hand before letting it go and grabbed one. He touched the candle wick with his fingertip. The cord was burned, dry drops of wax formed a trail almost until the end. “They used them.”

“You need candles to summon things.” He didn't like the idea of being standing in a place where someone convoked a demon.

“But there is no symbols drawn on the floor to prove they did it here.” Dipper lowered his gaze to the notebook and read: “ _I need to get out. They appeared to be in a sort of trance. Joseph...it his fault. He's doing this. The candles did something to them. All his fault_.”

Wirt could not help but flinched and glanced at his back just to make sure the shadow was not there. “Maybe is time to finish reading it all.”

Dipper nodded playing with the candle in his hand. “I just want to finish looking this room.”

A brown door was hiding in the corner. Wirt lit the way to be sure none of them would stumble with something again. In the instant it was opened, Dipper noticed four bodies lying on the floor and kneeled between two of them trying to find some kind of injury.

There was only one girl, and she was wearing a black sweater and had a necklace with the name Diana engraved on the pendant. How long they had been here? And how the heck the police did not find them when they came?

Wirt paled once again and his voice shook as he talked, “A-are they dead?”

“I...” They were cold, their skin was starting to paint in a shade of gray and when he checked their pulse he found nothing. Still, no sign of Claire's niece and he hoped she hadn't shared the same fate. A knot was forming in the back of his throat. “Yeah.”

But they had not been killed. He had not known about Shadow People killing. But again, there was not enough information about them. He did not was aware that they could lower the warm of a room. What if it killed them by freezing people to death?

For now they had seen enough.

This time, Wirt was in front of him leading the way out. They reconsidered the idea of sitting there, knowing that just behind the door were corpses. Dead corpses. Dipper promised to himself that after banish the demon, they would return to let their families give them a proper rest.

They got to the next room with two windows in the right wall. Just to make sure, they tried to open it but it was stuck as well. They sat right next to each other, backs facing the wall to be able to feel the natural light. Dipper snuggled against Wirt so he could read too.

From what was written, more people had been here beside the four they had saw. He wondered if the person who owned the notebook was one of them, or even if he or she was alive. Or maybe a lot people managed to escape and decided not to say a word.

The majority of the notes were just ramblings, recounting what had happened. But it did not take long to get to the part where it said that four of his best friends were gone. The person wrote that they first disappeared and Dipper reread the paragraph when it was mentioned that they were in a trance. The so-called Joseph also appeared in the pages again.

_When he blew the candles, Diane, Simon, Kai and Fred collapsed to the floor. Oh god, I think…they’re not breathing. Oh god._

The page had several spots where tears had been dropped. The lines of the letters were crooked, a result of trembling hands.

They got to the end of the notebook, which was marked with blood as they had previously saw. Without closing it, Dipper positioned it on his lap and lifted his head to see Wirt.

“When the flame was gone, they died. Somehow the candles must be connected to them,” he speculated, running his thumb across his boyfriend’s hand, some of the straw on his wrist getting in the way.

Wirt placed the flashlight on the floor, with the light pointing to the ceiling. He then, snuck his arm on Dipper’s waist, returning the comforting gesture. “Like voodoo dolls,” he continued, his eyes going wide when the familiarity of the situation hit him. “Like the Beast’s lantern.”

Dipper imitated his look but instead, it was filled with excitement. “You're right! The Shadow sucks them! The souls have to be the flames on the candles! That's why they looked like they were on trance.”

He turned around completely, the notebook fell, and he grabbed both of Wirt's arms. One piece of the puzzle solved. He cupped his face and kissed him. That's when he noticed Wirt's anxiousness as his lip quivered against his own. Dipper rested their foreheads together. “Don't worry, no one is turning into trees. We are _not_ at the verge of death.”

And somehow that was worse. They were not in The Unknown and that was what terrified him. A creature like the Beast was not supposed to reach them here. But he was wrong.

“Wirt, this is similar but not the same,” he assured him clamping their lips tenderly until Wirt relaxed against him and began to return the kiss.

“I'm sorry. I guess I’m scared,” he admitted slowly as he pulled back. He wasn’t sure if he felt better at saying it aloud.

“Don’t be sorry.” Dipper stood up first, helping Wirt later. He had the courage. He didn't see it because it was shown in different situations and many ways. Being capable of trusting your guts, trust _yourself_ when you have been your whole life doubting and act with that accelerated bump in your chest was brave. Shutting off that pessimist voice in your head, at least for a moment, was brave. “I know it's not easy. Wanna wait a little more?”

Wirt sighed shaking his head and looking outside for any sign of Mabel and Greg. They had a lot of time before their siblings could break whatever magic that was retaining them here. They could not waste it. He and Dipper were fine, the people who needed their help, were not. “It's alright. Should we look for Kara now?”

Dipper was still going to check on him, though. “Since we don't have a clue on how to stop the Shadow, I guess that's the only thing we can do.”

On a normal day, on a normal adventure in the woods, the silence that lurked between them as they made it to the stairs once again, would have been somehow calm and comfortable enough, but here it wasn’t. Maybe because with every step they took, there was no sound of grass crunching beneath their feet. Maybe because Wirt knew they were not alone.

Giving a second glance, they made sure no dark smoke was around. Where it went or what it was doing was one of the questions Wirt did not was sure he wanted an answer.

Wirt lighted each room and they just peered at it from the frame of the door. If they thought they could find something else, they looked further. There was nothing weird anymore, nothing tangible at least. But he kept close to Dipper and Dipper did not let go of his hand this time, and giving each other warm touches made them feel safe.

But it was just when they went to the left, on the most recondite part of the building when they clenched their hands tighter.

Hiding in the corner, on a fetal position with a neon purple shirt, was a short-haired girl that flinched at the light on her face. Wirt turned it off, shoving the flashlight aside.

Dipper kneeled without touching her, his voice gentle as he spoke, “Hey, are you Kara?”

She mumbled something no one of them could understand, rocking herself back and forth tugging her hair repeatedly.

“What was that?” Wirt said quietly.

She looked up, watching them with hollow eyes. “I-I’ve been hiding...” she answered in an undertone they could barely hear. “What does it wants? What does he wants?”

Dipper decided to take the chance and put his hand on her shoulder. She jumped visible but Dipper did not removed his hand, but was careful to not touch her completely. “Hey, you’re okay. You’re Kara right?”

Slowly, she seemed to calm down and registered where she was and who they were. She lowered her hands to position them around her legs instead. She rubbed her eyes and nodded. “Who are you?”

“I'm Dipper,” he said while dropping his hand. She was still shivering. “This is Wirt. Your aunt called us to help you.”

“N-no. He is going to find me. To find us all.” Wirt bit his lip. They needed to get her out first before doing anything else. She could not stay any longer. It was clear she was too traumatized.

“He?” Dipper furrowed his brow and sat with his legs crossed. “Can you help us a little? How did you get here? Do you remember?”

Kara shook his head several times before responding, “I tried to run. But I just...I have been running from it.”

Dipper realized they were not getting answers from her on that state. “Okay, c’mon. Let’s get you out of here.” He checked his cellphone to send a message to her twin but there was no signal. _Seriously?_ “Phone's dead. Yours?”

Wirt almost forgot he was carrying it as he dialed Mabel's number. It didn't even bleeped. “Same.”

He prayed Mabel had arrived and was already bringing down the door.

Wirt helped her to keep steady, giving Dipper the flashlight. Kara was in the middle, to make her feel secure. She probably did see the Shadow more than one time and was clever enough to stay alive alone a whole day.

“Maybe we should break the window this time you know?” Dipper suggested as they slowly made it to where the door was supposed to be.

Wirt could not refrain a smile. “I don't think that's going to work,” Wirt said tilting his head to the side to see him better. “I mean, if something wants us to stay inside, it will not make it easy.”

Dipper snorted, going one step in front of Kara and Wirt. “We can try-”

His feet froze like they were walking on ice. The black smog returned covering the entire floor, encircling just above their ankles. It did not attack them directly but it was spreading as fast as wild fire.

He did not know what was more startling, the high pitched scream that Kara made trying to break free from Wirt's hold or the sight of them touching the smoke below them.

“He’s here! It’s here!” she cried out loud, her eyes turning glassy.

Dipper frantically searched for an extra shadow that did not belong to anyone. If it was not with them yet, they could get away as before.  

“We are not letting it hurt you,” Wirt tried to shush her. “We just have to-”

Kara brought her elbow to Wirt's jaw, knocking him back from the force of the hit. His tongue hurt the most, feeling his own teeth cutting it. The hat Mabel made falling from his head.

“Wait!” Dipper yelled at her back, but cupped his boyfriend’s chin quickly to check on him before chasing her. “Oh my god, are you okay?”

Wirt tasted a bit of blood, his face stung. But there was no time for that. “Yes, I’m fine, I’m fine.” He gently took Dipper’s hands off his face. “We have to go.”

They rushed after her, hearing her sobs in the distance. Not being really conscious of the fog beneath them, for a mere second Dipper thought he was running barefoot, in the middle of the arctic.

They found her at the end of the corridor turning around desperately seeking for an escape route.

Dipper attempt to grab her again, but she recoiled almost hitting him too if he hadn’t dodged. “Kara, there’s no time for this-”

“It’s going to get me!” This was her turn to grab his wrist violently, shoving him against the wall, making him waver as his head collided with the concrete. “Let me alone!”

“Hey, stop!” he heard Wirt hollered from far away when Dipper’s surroundings started to spin and he rubbed his forehead without raising his bangs. He definitely knew he was going to have a bruise tomorrow.

Wirt’s hands were now on his shoulders helping him to snap it out. “We are trying to help you!”

Her quarrel stopped, her body went rigid, going back slowly tripping over Dipper and him. Wirt flickered and surrounded Dipper with a hug.

It lumbered at their direction. A silhouette as dark as the cloud around them. It appeared to be vibrating, making it difficult to perceive the contour. Wirt’s breath hitched staring at the demon with paralyzing fear, clutching Dipper’s body close as if like that he could keep them both safe forgetting about Kara for a moment.  

Dipper’s dizziness finally stopped, his vision and senses focusing on more than just Wirt's touch. The air was thick, and even if he was terrified he could not take his eyes from the Shadow. He swore he saw two yellow orbs, brightening in contrast with the obscureness, leaning against them.

He took the hand of Wirt to place it above the one that was holding the flashlight, to see if maybe the light could get it to go away, but it didn't work. They just accomplished to see it better, and that did not help.

The Shadow was right in their faces. Dipper returned the grasp on their embrace, he could not think straight. Numb. His mind was completely numb. He was freezing, literally and metaphorically. Soon everything would be nothing but darkness.

A blurry arm was stretched and Wirt really tried to crush his ribs. But it landed on Kara's arm and in a second she pleaded at them with her eyes before she disappeared in the mist.

“No!” But she was gone, taking the Shadow with her.

Dipper was trying to free himself from Wirt's limbs. Even without the fog, he was suffocating. “How-it just…”

The high pitched yells stopped him, piercing through their ears like sharp cuts. It hurt. Wirt took of his pointy hat to hide his entire face on his hair, bringing his arms to cover Dipper's. He did not ask for protection, he never did, but Wirt was always willing to give it to him.

Everything fell in silence. Slowly, they untangled from each other, Wirt whimpered a little with the loss of contact, but Dipper did not separate their hands. He gulped and exhaled the little air he had, running his fingers on his curls.

“Oh my god. I-I didn't do anything! It's my fault!” He just sat there. Doing nothing. What was wrong with him? “What am I going to say to her aunt?”

Wirt was pretty shaky himself, but refused to let Dipper take the blame. “Now it's your turn to calm down. We will save her.”

“But I just let that thing take her. I just stayed still!”

“We were too stunned to react. It's not going to happen again, because we know what we are facing. But maybe I will freak it out because I'm Wirt, but you will not.”

He had faced worst, both knew that. He was not used to feel that helpless. Not since a long time ago.

“You don't give yourself enough credit,” Dipper mumbled, his lips curving upwards briefly. “At least, we discovered it's not afraid of light.”

“And it cannot take more than one person,” Wirt recalled, then grinned, “Or it thought we were too lame for eat our souls.”

“Or too awesome,” he joked, glad to have already taken control of his paranoia.

“Yeah that makes more sense.”

Dipper blurted a laugh and slid their lips smoothly against each other. A reassurance that they were together, ready to catch the other. “We should really keep moving. Don't want to find that thing again until I'm sure it will be the last time.”

“Okay. We will save her, you'll see,” Wirt repeated, placing a kiss on the top of his head.

“I know.” Demons were not easy to deal with, but if he could take one several times at twelve years old, he could do it again.


	4. Until the End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, September was crazy and I only had time to write this month and I'm sorry. Again thanks for all the lovely feedback! Happy belated Halloween and to any fellow mexicans who read this ¡Feliz Día de los Muertos adelantado!

They had not planned to start trick or treat already, it just happened. With both dressed in their costumes, many people thought they wanted to ask for candy before anyone else and who were they to deny free chocolate bars?

Sitting on Claire’s couch with Greg munching a bunch of homemade cookies, Mabel decided that maybe it had not been such a bad idea, even if they were supposed to look for help, but they had tried to break the windows and the door of the building with no success, and the people they had encountered by now didn’t have good information. Just really good sweets.

“Want more chocolate milk with your cookies, hon?” Claire said from the kitchen, taking out the milk, not really waiting for an answer.

“There's no time for that! We need to save the world.” But he didn't return the glass when it was offered and drank it all in a second, putting it down with a thump on the table. Greg wiped his milk mustache and saluted her. “Thank you ma'am.”

She gave her a fond tiny smile before turning to Mabel, “I already told you what I know. The only one who could have seen something is the new farmer, Brad.”

“What? New farmer?”

“Yes, he started working just a few weeks ago.” Claire peeked through the curtains and clutched the kitchen towel with her free hand. “Oh there he is.”

Mabel took a glimpse too. They hadn’t seen anyone working in the fields after she and Greg had gone out of the abandoned building. He probably was a few years older than her and he looked like someone who had spent years in a jungle, giving him more an appearance of a tramp than of a farmer. But the weirdest people were normally the most helpful.

She didn’t want to talk to him, though. She wanted to blow the door and get Wirt and Dipper out as soon as possible. But she knew she had to get more information if she wanted his dorky twin to relax for real, but a little voice was repeating her to hurry up.  

It was just a ghost, nothing new. Why was she feeling so nervous about it?

“Isn't that a little weird?”

“Well, I guess. He was a suspect at first. They interviewed him and discarded him.”

“But the first discarded person is always guilty!” Greg gasped. He was spending too much time watching suspense movies with Dipper.

Claire threw the towel to the dishwasher, making them jump a little when it hit the crockery.

“Oh, who am I kidding? I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry.” She rubbed her forehead and her exhaustion was ten times more noticeable. “I shouldn’t have ask for your help. You’re just _kids_. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I…I’m going to call the police and do everything to get your friends out.”

Mabel stepped in front of her before she could grab the phone. “No, no. You don’t have to apologize for anything. We dealt with stuff like this almost every day. And this is definitely not the worst one.”

“Besides, ghosts on Summerween?” Greg added with his hands on his hips. “That’s perfect!”

The woman still looked uncertain and Mabel gave her a reassuring smile. The police couldn’t solve this, and she wouldn’t waste time with them, not when she needed to save her brothers before something bad happened. “We’ll be fine, really. Do you think the farmer will talk to us?”

Claire shrugged. “He’s not the most talkative person but I don’t see a reason why he wouldn’t help you.”

“Great!” Mabel muffled her laugh as she saw Greg eyeing their pile of candies. He promised he wouldn't touch anything until the four were together again, but Mabel knew that was going to take a lot of internal struggling. “You'll be the first one to know if something happens!”

She took Greg’s hand before Claire could protest and led them out of the apartment. There were just a few hours left before the sun went down. They needed to do this quick. Mabel promised Greg he would have the best Summerween ever and she was going to give him the best Summerween ever.

The farmer was working in the crops of the field but it looked that he wasn't really there. His gaze seemed blurry, his arms moved around really, really weird, as if they were made of jelly or rubber. Mabel shivered when they were eye to eye. Something was really off in that guy, but she didn't want her suspicions become true yet.

“Hi Mabel and Greg here! On a special interrogatory!” Greg voiced right away, trying to get in his eyesight.

When he walked to the side to pass them by, Mabel stepped in front of him. Running away was not a good choice for not look suspicious. “We are just going to ask you some questions. Nothing to worry about! Brad, doesn’t it?” The farmer tensed. A sign that at least he was listening. Good, Mabel wasn’t letting him go without answers. She was a Pines after all. “We won't take you a lot of time.”

The man clamped his leg, which was wrapped in a dirty bandage, and nodded.

Mabel decided to go easy first. “We heard you were there the night the girl, Kara, the one from the apartment right here, disappeared.”

He nodded again.

“Did you see something creepy? More like ghostly?” Greg asked, not minding the harsh look the farmer was giving him.

“No.”

Mabel _did_ mind the way he was addressing to the little kid. He wanted to act rude, fine.

From the corner of her eyes, Greg pointed at the old cart behind Brad. If he was avoiding them, giving them sharp answers, he couldn’t be trusted. She let him take a look at it straightaway. “You started working in the farm just when the problem started,” she pointed out, dragging all of Brad’s attention to her.

“Coincidence.”

“Hard to believe.”

“I already told the police everything,” he growled once more, daring to turn around. Mabel grabbed his shoulder and held back a cry when she found it extremely cold. Now more than ever, she believed he was hiding important stuff.

“We're not going to talk to them.” Greg was checking the corn first and shook his head, telling her to try and give him more time. “They wouldn't tell us. So, _please_ there's something that could help us to know what's happening to all the people that’s gone.”

He shrugged, completely unaware of the kid snooping his belongings. “They just disappeared. No bodies.”

“But you didn't see any creature? For more crazy and mythical it could have been?” she pressed.

“Of course not,” he spit out. That was a reaction Mabel was sort of expecting from most people, but she had gotten so used to not get it from Gravity Falls residents since the Blind Eye Society was defeated, she sometimes forgot not everyone believed the things they saw day per day.

Mabel changed the topic, “So you were in this place, the exact moment that girl disappeared and saw nothing?”

For the third time since they started talking, he said no. And Greg almost brought the whole cart down by accident when he decided there was no evidence the farmer was involved in some way.

“Can you think a little more?” Greg startled him from the back, tugging his shirt so he had no option than to look at him. “My brother and my not-in-blood-but-still-brother need our help! If you don't help us, then we can't help them and we will miss our first Summerween together!”

And finally, something more than indifference was reflected in the man’s eyes. Pity, regret, guilt, she couldn't be sure, but she was glad Greg’s innocence could soften the man’s attitude. She missed to be a child and have that ability. “I'm sorry. I'm telling you the true.”

That was it. If he knew something, it was obvious he wasn't going to tell them. Maybe she could try again tomorrow. Right now, she had wasted enough time.

“Okay, thanks,” she said out of sheer friendliness.

In matter of seconds, he went back to work like they had never been there. What weird man, indeed. But their brothers had been in their own for so long, making her think that either they were in trouble or they had found a way to resolve it and were probably snuggling like the cute lovebirds they were.

“What do we do now?” Greg wondered as they went far away from the farm.

The only person who could give them what they needed without inquiring was in the outsides of the town, so she took them to where the car was parked. She would’ve walked, not being a big fan of driving, but they needed space to carry all the stuff. She was also thinking in making a stop to pick up the two pets. “It's time for saving our brothers and fun, of course!”

“Oh!” Mabel ignited the car as soon as their belts were fastened. “But where are we going?”

She smiled mischievously, “To get something explosive!”

\---

Dipper had written every information they had, from the tiniest to the most relevant, ripping almost every single page of his notepad and laid them down on the floor. Wirt had contributed with little things his boyfriend forgot. He also had given up his willingness of dealing with the straws of the edges of his shirt and used them as a red string substitute to connect the ideas.

They were still really lost.

“ _Ugh,_ why is this happening?” Dipper grumbled letting his head drop for a moment. “The one time I don’t bring the damn journals. _Seriously?_ ”

Although he was starting to memorize them, there were a few stuff he hadn’t paid too much attention, so he didn’t remember them and that’s why he always kept it in mind he would probably need it later. Like now. But he didn’t bring them because he was dumb.

“You didn’t know this was going to happen.” Wirt’s smile was gentle and sympathetic as he brought his hand to play with one of his curls, the one who stayed just right next to his ear.

Dipper wanted to relax at the touch, but his brain was dumb too. “I should’ve known better by now. After dealing with this for four year, I should not have expected it to be nothing.”

“The only one who’s blaming you is yourself, Dipper. And you said there wasn’t enough information anyway.”

Wirt’s gaze returned to their improvised floor board. Eighteen people. Eighteen souls. The police had stopped to look here, thinking some kidnapper probably took them to another place, far, far away from where they should be actually hidden. He then looked at their handwriting.

_Light does not affect it_.

_Shadow People are not just the shadows you see at the corner of your eye when you’re alone._

_It sucks the souls and put them on candles._

“What do you think it does with them?” Wirt wondered giving him another subject to focus, instead of what he could have done.

With a sigh, Dipper let it go. He could complain everything he wanted, but that wouldn't fix anything. “Maybe they are like his source of energy. His kind doesn't belong to this world after all.”

Dipper let his back rest against the floor once more with the notebook on hand, lifting it to his head, and flipped the pages until he got to the ones covered in blood. The flashlight pointing up again, the sheet facing the light. He narrowed his eyes as he saw some letters behind the red color, a hidden message. It was hard to read, but the rhymes and verses were clear enough, the author had managed to write something else.

“Wirt! Look!” Dipper sat straight, full of hope and relief that something good was happening. “There's a spell!”

Surprised by the statement Wirt blinked, “Really?”

“Really!” He rolled in the floor with a laugh, and checked the text again to make sure his mind wasn't cheating him. “It’s here, the spell to banish the shadow. Behind the stains.”

Wirt lay down with him to see it. Some words weren't complete by a letter or two, the blood too thick to see through it. “And how do you erase them without erasing what’s above?”

“You can’t.” Memories playing on his mind about how his six years old self used to write whatever his mind came up with and covered it with paint. In the night, he would put it in the lamp to read it again. It was a simple way to hide a message. “But it's readable enough.”

The light was brighter in contrast with the darkness of the room and it hurt his eyes if he kept looking directly at it. He had to glance at the side and rubbed his eyes when they began to water. “Man, you write it. Your eyes work better than mine.”

“Pfff you'll see. You'll be needing glasses soon.” He grabbed of what was left of the notepad and started copying it.

“Heck no.”

“Why not?” he said without stopping writing, even if there was teasing in his voice, what he said next was true and genuine, “I don't think you would look bad.”

“I don't know. It would be weird.”

This time, Wirt paused to kiss the corner of his mouth, and stroked his cheek. “I _really_ think I would like to see you using glasses.”  

Dipper sighed and tilted his head to press their lips firmer. His summer resolution of kissing his boyfriend as much as possible needed to be fulfilled. “Ok, but I would probably break them or lose them in less than a week.”

“Well, I can’t deny that. A problem for another day.” He rubbed his nose against Dipper's, making him giggle, before turning his attention to the spell.

Within minutes he had all written. Three stanzas with four verses each. It was amazing how words could have so much power. Turn them into something more, being able to express feelings behind lines, a secret that just a few would understand.

“We need to look for the other bodies. There was a lot of people here, and we only saw four. Besides, that's where Kara could also be.”

“So where we saw the candles...”

“That's more likely where they are going to be. Or close, at least.”

Wirt handed him the paper and got up with him, taking the flashlight again. “Okay, yeah. Should you practice the spell or…?”

Dipper took it, but shoved it in Wirt’s pants' pockets. It was safer there, than if he just carried it around, either way he had dropped it the second he started walking. He wasn’t that careful as his boyfriend. “It’s fine. Let’s go and beat this thing.”

They crept out of the room, checking each corner of the halls cautiously. The air still had the kind of feel you often got in cemeteries. They had seen how a Shadow People looked like and it wasn’t as terrifying as Wirt expected for a demon. But everything was becoming too déjà vu for him.

Glowing eyes, searching for souls, needing a light to keep alive. He wanted to start believing this was all a dream, a nightmare he would woke up at any moment, Dipper would be at his side and the rest of the day would be all right.

But he had read the spell, the notebook. You couldn't read in dreams. It was real. Dipper was real too, he wasn't alone.

They were at the stairs again and Dipper’s hand clutched his, when the horrible, awful sensation he just wanted it to go away, reappeared for the third time.

The dark smoke was coming from below. It covered the whole first floor and was trying to reach each steps, one by one. The Shadow wasn’t anywhere, but it was only matter of time for it to come.

“H-How did that happened?” Wirt sputtered, turning his head watching the sections of the second floor being cloaked in a dark veil. It was spreading far and wide. “How can it be this big?”

Dipper wished he could stumble upon a new plan. A clever one, a stupid one, anything that wasn’t the one he already knew could work.

Mabel’s grappling hook would’ve had a good use in this situation.

“Ok...Wirt-” Dipper’s ankle was grasped and he yelped. He fell two steps and Wirt screamed his name. He had fallen completely if Wirt had not taken his arm. Wide eyes met his and he didn't dare to look back.

The feeling of having the fog right there on his skin was worse than shoving his entire body on ice. He wanted to scream, but decided to simply bite his lip in his place. Not only it had gotten larger, the gas was more palpable than it had been.

Wirt was trying to pull him up, almost tripping too. Dipper panicked.

“Let me go.”

Wirt froze, his grip didn’t weakened. “ _What?_ ”

The Shadow was almost there, they didn’t have time to discuss. “You can’t save me from this and if you don’t let go, you will get sucked too. And then there would be no one to defeat this thing.”

Wirt wanted to refuse, sacrifice himself instead. The trails of black covering his legs, the gaze of the Shadow above them. He knew he was right. Wirt didn't want to hear it, he didn’t want him to be right. “But-”

“Wirt, you can do it,” he said with a cracked voice. He was starting to shake. It was too cold. “You’ve done this before.”

That didn’t mean Wirt wanted to do it again. Tears were spilled, as he tried to talk between hiccups. “Dipper…I-I...” _I can’t lose you._

“Hey, hey, look at me. I love you. It’s okay.” When Wirt looked at those eyes he couldn’t help but melt in them. The certainty telling him he could do it, that he believed in him. Wirt noticed he was getting weaker and he just wanted to wrap him in his arms forever and go home. “You are going to save me. I love you. I trust you.”

“I love you too.” Wirt shivered at the Shadow presence, ready to snatch his boyfriend, but focused on Dipper and only Dipper. “I love you so much.” And cut his breathing with one last kiss. Firm, wet but full of affection.

“Don’t open your eyes yet,” Dipper mumbled.

When they hands parted, Wirt could feel his heart go along with the darkness that was taking Dipper away from him. He did as he said and tried to control his breath without opening his eyes and stood up. But when he heard the screams, he collapsed and sobbed.


	5. It Goes Back to You

Somehow Wirt gathered the courage to get off the floor. He didn't wipe his eyes, letting them dry alone on his cheeks. His hands tugged his hair.

Dipper was gone.

He was alone and Dipper was gone.

The pain on his chest increased. The pressure was crushing him from the inside. He wanted to curl up and cry until everything was over. But he couldn't. He had work to do. He needed to put himself together and fight the Shadow. For Dipper.

He was shaking when he pulled out the crumpled piece of paper Dipper had shoved into his pocket. He thought that maybe reading a few times would help him to clear his mind, but it failed. Poetry normally worked unless he was too scared or anxious, and he realized he reached a level of fear he hadn't known he could have.

Did he need to have a firm voice for the spell to work?

Just another deep breath and he was on his feet again. He didn't think where he was going as he obliged himself to move forward, almost running, repeating the magical words so he wouldn't stutter. Or not too much.

The trip downstairs felt faster, quieter than it had been the first time. He didn't have a hand securing his own, a voice to make him smile.

He kept going.

“The torment you’ve caused, should end with my talk,” Wirt mumbled. He was going to stop that thing. His priority was Dipper, but he guessed he had to make the Shadow disappear first. If he could figure out another option, one that involved save Dipper and defeat it together, then he would gladly take it. But he didn't know what exactly it did to the people it took, he wasn't sure how much time he had to get to his boyfriend. He didn't know how or why the four students’ candles had been blown out.

First things, first. He needed to find the entrance of the hideout.

Wirt didn’t paused at all when he got to the room, didn't even mind the bodies when he entered to the next one. If Dipper was right, they should’ve been trapped somewhere around here. He scanned quickly. There were a lot people, it needed a big place to keep them all.

He removed the white -almost brown from the dust- curtains and expected to see a window with maybe a sunset, but there was a door behind it. As he opened, a vague light illuminated stairs leading way down.

A basement.

His heartbeat went crazy, he turned off the flashlight and went down. With his steps accelerating, he prepared himself for what would come next.

_I can do this._

Wit felt he stepped into a sect session, with all the people sitting straight lines, holding the taper candles with both hands, watching the flame numbly. He didn't care to stop and put too much thought into that, not when the place was clear. The only attention he gave them was as he scanned their faces, searching for a single person, just that.

And he found him. He was in the front, and Wirt trotted to him, allowing his lungs to release some air.

But not all, because Dipper’s lips were almost blue, his eyes were dull. He grabbed his arm, it was extremely cold, but he refused to let go. “Dipper,” he breathed, and tried not to break again as he hugged him and was not hugged back. He didn’t even stiffened. Wirt did not like the feeling.

And there was something else. Something missing.

“Dipper, where is your candle?”

Of course, he didn't get an answer. It was obvious his soul had been sucked too for the way he acted. He wasn't...he wasn't dead. Maybe it was somewhere else because it was a new soul, and he should’ve searched it, but he didn't want to leave Dipper.

With arms strongly around his boyfriend’s waist, he lifted both of them of the floor. It was too painful, to have him not reacting at his touch, with his eyes open Wirt couldn't imagine he was sleeping. He wanted to hear his voice so badly.

“C’mon, Dipper,” he begged shaking his shoulder. “Where is yours?”

“Is this his?” a voice on his back rang out. Wirt twisted his neck to find a man entering the room, from where he stood his figure was barely visible, but he could see a glimpse of his face thanks to the thin piece of wax. But when he was right in front of him, Wirt could see him too well. A wicked smile, a bandage around one of his legs, scratched face.

Then, his feet burned and Wirt realized the smoke was all round the place again. It felt weird, it was solid and at the same time it wasn't. But none of that mattered. “Give me back that.” He stretched his arm to snatch _Dipper’s soul_ from whoever this person was, but he stepped back and Wirt was terrified that if he put up a fight, the candle might be dropped.

“Sorry, kid. Not happening,” the man jested, the low pitch making him want to run. This wasn’t the Shadow, it couldn’t be, even if it gave him the same sensation of fear. If this is the only thing that keeps _you_ from erasing _me_ of this world then…” He sucked his breath to blow the flame.

Dipper’s flame.

He was going to fail.

 _Everything’s been my fault._ He was in The Unknown again, face to face with the Beast, but this time he didn’t have the lantern in his hands, and Greg was dying, and he couldn't do anything but stare.

“No!” It was desperate, he didn’t want to sound so weak but he did anyway, “please.”

The demon chuckled, “Do you really think I would let you go? Knowing you could chant the spell.” He walked to the center of the room, his fingers barely brushing the candle wick. Suddenly, the eyes of the man turned empty. “This is the one thing that keeps you from doing it. The spell might vanish me, but the souls can only return to their owners if they are close enough to it.”

Wirt tried to show him through his look that he didn’t intend to go anywhere without Dipper. He could stay here all the day, the night and the whole summer if it was necessary.

“But maybe we can come up with some agreements.” Because the Shadow didn't wanted him to interfere. Wirt had the spell, the Shadow had Dipper. The two were desperate to end this, for different reasons, in different ways.

And neither of them had any other options left. Wirt didn't have anything to offer. Well, he had his own soul, he could ask to change places with Dipper. He would know what to do, he would solve this immediately.

Wirt knew how to save Dipper. He wasn't sure how he could beat the Shadow. But before he could open his mouth, the Shadow told his deal, “I let you go with the boy and his candle and you can't come back. I'll guide you to the door and I'll give it to you until we arrive there.”

Wirt stayed in silence, clutching Dipper’s body as if that would help him to come back. He was so cold, all his dead weight resting on him.

He almost didn't hear the monotonous voice saying, “I accept your deal.” And he wouldn’t have realized it was his if the Shadow’s grin wouldn't have turned as big as the Cheshire cat’s.

“Don't waste time then.”

The Shadow waited until Wirt went first. Fair enough.

The fog twirled on his leg, and maybe it was the adrenalin, but Wirt couldn't feel it like before. The Shadow’s presence made him uneasy. He didn't protest, he didn't flinch, and he decided to show his fear instead. The Shadow wouldn't see him as a threat, and he wasn't. Not really.

It was difficult to walk with someone close to unconsciousness, but they made it and the front door opened with a creak. The sun was already down and with Dipper, he took a step outside. Just one.

“Done. We are already out.” Wirt managed to hold Dipper with one arm, and extended the other one. Before he could do anything he needed to be sure Dipper would be fine. “A-a deal is a deal. I need his candle back.”

“You still have a lot to learn, kid. You _don't_ reason with a demon.”

The fog swirled violently as the doors nearly closed on their faces. “Stop!” Wirt lunged forward before it was too late, the words a little unsteady, and he would never know how they didn't break, “You shall fear my voice-”

The black matter stopped even when the doors slammed and the candle was the only light source he had. The body of the person possessed by the Shadow shrieked, “No! You won't give up his soul!”

“-Creature of the void,” Wirt said a little breathless while getting Dipper on his back, preparing for the next step. He had given him piggyback rides before, but that was when he could secure his legs on Wirt’s waist, his arms around his neck. “The torment you've caused-”

“Stop!” The Shadow yelled, throwing Dipper’s candle to him, and Wirt’s breath hitched for several reasons as he caught it with his free hand. First of all, because _oh my god it almost hit the floor_ and second of all, feeling overwhelmed twice in a row was going to be the death of him. “Take it and go!”

But Wirt didn’t even think he could blink. He was holding Dipper’s _soul_ , what made him who he was. His radiant spirit bottling with such simplicity, Wirt couldn’t believe it was possible. But it didn’t belong there, it belonged in the boy he was carrying, to continue filling him with life.

And that was his reason for not leaving. The moment he’d read the spell aloud, it harmed the Shadow immediately and he thanked the luck for returning with them.

He made sure Dipper or the candle weren’t going to fall, and counted to three on his mind. After that, he didn’t know how hold all the weight, he wasn’t really what someone would call strong, but he lowered himself to take and throw a rock from the debris to the Shadow.

That served as the perfect distraction, because the moment the Shadow seemed too stunned to notice him, Wirt ran with the words flowing freely. He repeated the two first verses and continued, “The torment you’ve caused, should end with my talk.”

“No!”

Wirt didn't look back even if he knew he was being chased, thinking into remembering the exact verses, “From the place you came, someone helped you raise.” The fog was clearing.

He had memorized the spell with no time. He was almost in the basement again. The Shadow couldn't hurt them. He was going to make it. Dipper’s flame turned a light blue, and got wider.

“But you can’t escape, your undoubted fate.”

The most difficult part was going through the stairs, and the scene he found was completely different from the one before. It was a beautiful sight, all the flames extending and fighting the force holding them into the candle, searching for their owner.

He could start feeling the warm increasing in Dipper’s body again.

The Shadow was in front of him. Not the body, -which Wirt glimpsed laying a few inches away- but in its true form, the blurry silhouette he saw the first time. It couldn't talk, not without a puppet, but it finally lost the power to keep one.

“While your sentence, I spell, you won’t have time to dwell.”

Then, it touched him, and Wirt understood why Dipper couldn't hold on any longer when the Shadow had grasped his ankle. It forced him to look at the yellow eyes, which didn’t even had a pupil- and Wirt shivered. But he couldn't stop, not when he was so close.

Dipper’s soul was returning, Wirt’s was vanishing.

Just two more lines.

Maybe it was his imagination, maybe it was the wishful thinking of just having someone for support, but he felt Dipper’s hand grabbing him a little stronger.

_I love you. I trust you._

“Release the souls you hold, you’re exiled of this world!” he gasped, letting Dipper go and Wirt sat on the floor so he could hold him on his lap, keeping his arms wrapped around him.

The creature trembled, and trembled, until you could barely see it anymore. The souls got brighter, cocooned their bodies, fading slowly, until they eventually died out. The Shadow let out a combination of all the screams it had collected from the people it kidnapped and Wirt had to shut his ears.

And it finally disappeared.

He could hear groans and confused whispers from the people waking up. But Wirt felt selfish again, he didn’t care about them, he cared about Dipper. He couldn't stay strong anymore and the moment Wirt’s name was murmured, he pressed their mouths together with a desperate sound, and deeper when he could _feel_ Dipper balmy lips kissing back weakly.

He was okay.

Dipper blinked slowly, his brain completely fuzzy thanks to their kiss being the first thing he was aware of. Not that he minded.

“I love you,” Dipper mumbled when they broke apart, and the events of what happened came to him.

“I love you too.” Wirt snuggled him and kissed his temple. “How are you feeling?” he said, stroking his cheek.

Dipper leaned into the touch and played with the material of Wirt’s shirt. “It's not the first time I have been out of my body. But this was definitely one of the worst.” It had been like existing and sleeping but not completely. It was difficult to put into words, so he didn’t try.

He squealed as someone’s foot hit his back when they stretched, how long would it take them to ask questions? He didn’t know. “You did it. I told you you could.”

“We did it together,” Wirt remarked, giving him a squeeze. They were a team, everything was easier when they were together.

When a person in the back cursed complaining about ‘never drinking again’, Wirt shifted uncomfortably with knowledge of not being alone. “Should we leave now?”

There was too many people, the threat was gone, they would probably call for help and he wasn’t in the mood to answer anything, so Dipper nodded but the world spun when he tried to stand. “Ok, I am terribly dizzy.”

“It’s okay. I got you.” Wirt rubbed his back and helped him to prevent his knees from buckling, letting Dipper using him as backing.

If anyone saw them leave they didn’t said a word.

They arrived at the front door and Wirt guessed the barrier prevented them to open any exit was gone too, but he would never know the answer because the whole door turned into dust and broke, sending pieces flying in the air, a loud boom ringing in his ears.

“ _Mabel!_ ”

“Dipper!” was the response they received as the smoke of the rubble cleared. Having all of his favorite people in the whole world with him and being sure the four of them were actually safe, allowed him to finally _breathe_.

“Oh, hey!” Mabel sounded a little surprised to see them right there. “You’re fine!” He could almost hear Dipper’s answer for that, but again she was faster than them, and with Greg in her arms she hugged them both.  “Where are your hats? Oh my god, you have dirt all over yourselves!”

“Yeah well, good news is that we defeat the creature! The missing people are awakening in the basement,” Dipper said, the color was returning to his face. “And oh my god, you just blew an entire wall.”

“Yep!” Mabel chimed proudly, frowned for a second when she looked at his twin’s wearily expression and gave him an extra kiss on the cheek. “Sorry for taking so long. This is the last time I listen to you. I’ll go with the flow, my flow.”

“That’s what you always do!”          

“And the time that I don’t, you ended up looking like a zombie.” Mabel replied. “Now, is Summerween so that’s not bad, but you’re supposed to be the Scarecrow and you don’t even have the straw!”

“I don’t think people will care,” Dipper assured leaning against the poet. “We should get going if we want to get the best candies, right Greg?”

The kid nodded, he also saw that Dipper was tired and not as cheerful as before, Mabel put him down so she could pull out her phone. “Okie dokie! Let me call Claire really quick!”

“I’m glad you’re okay!” Greg avalanched at Wirt’s leg when Mabel picked up her phone, and it was his brother’s turn to scoop him. He was growing up, he wouldn’t be this light in a few more years. “I promise I didn’t eat anything yet!”

“What? Wait...”

“Are we still doing trick or treat?”

Wirt decided to let that go and hummed, glancing at his boyfriend, “I don’t know, if Dipper’s up to. He kinda had a rough day.”

They could hear Mabel happily chatting with the person at the other side of the line. She was the best at telling bad and good news. Although she preferred to be the good news messenger.

“I’m fine, seriously,” Dipper replied. And he meant it, he was feeling a little sleepy, but he probably didn’t need to have Wirt with his arms on his waist if he wanted to stand. He wasn’t going to tell him to let go, though, this was nice. “C’mon man, I didn’t dress up for nothing-”

“You secretly love it, Dipdop!”

“-and besides we deserve doing something fun.”

“Well...okay,” Wirt said not truly convinced. He looked better but...“if you are not too tired…”

“Oh! I have the solution!” Greg exclaimed reaching for his pockets and hanging out candy bar for Dipper. “Here, sugar always gives you energy!”

Where did it come from, Dipper didn’t know but he wasn’t going to reject it. “Thanks, Greg,” Dipper said with a genuine smile, eating it right away.

Wirt narrowed his eyes at his little brother. “Did you-?”

“All ready! Yaay!” Mabel announced, hands in the air. “I will drive to let the car closer so Grunkle Stan can get it while we go for candies.”

“Sure.” He was used to drive -You couldn’t let Mabel drive for too long- but he wasn’t going to argue, besides her, the only person capable of driving was Wirt and he wanted to cuddle in the way. They could return to the Shack walking and as soonas they finished seeing all the houses, he wanted to stumble in bed with Wirt combing his hair, and lulling him to sleep.

And that was just a typical summer day in Gravity Falls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for every kudo, comment and bookmark, and to anyone who read this mess, you're all precious and deserve happiness.  
> To send me prompts, questions, scream at/with me, 'hi's, or just smiley faces you can go to my tumblr with the same name as this account. Also I have a big thing coming up with this ship, but for know Happy Holidays!!


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